Kamloops — Seattle sports fans still consider the steal of the SuperSonics and their re-appearance in Oklahoma City the greatest moving violation in basketball.

They were so mad about the brazenness of it all that Seattle city fathers and mothers tried and failed to steal the Kings from Sacramento.

When the Thunder — the renamed Sonics — went down in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Western Conference final, a widespread feeling of Schadenfreude raged in the Emerald City. OKC got what it deserved.

But every Sonics fans was not a Warriors fan.

“I personally was rooting for OKC,” said B.C. Lions defensive back Brandon Stewart. “I wanted to see K.D. (Kevin Durant) get a ring.”

“I wanted to see K.D. get a ring, too,” added veteran halfback Ryan Phillips. “But it would have been bittersweet. K.D. still comes back to Seattle and does a lot for the community. That’s the team that drafted him. But it is hard to root for a team that should be in the Northwest.”

If there’s a lot of talk about the Seattle sports scene at a Canadian Football League training camp, it’s easy to see why.

Phillips and Stewart, expected to play next to each other in B.C.’s secondary, are both Seattle natives. The Lions’ other presumptive starting halfback, T.J. Lee, is another Seattleite.

The Lions have four others on the roster who played collegiately at the University of Washington. Linebackers coach Chris Tormey spent 11 seasons with the Huskies. Defensive line coach Robin Ross got his first NFL playing experience with the Seattle Seahawks, later became head coach of the Western Washington Vikings and resides in Bellingham.

“My thing is, there’s a lot of skill on the West Coast,” explained Lions head coach and GM Wally Buono. “Geography has a lot to do with the CFL today. It creates a greater sense of wanting to be here. They’re more comfortable.”

Two years ago, Buono publicly targeted a number of CFL free agents but couldn’t land any of them. The biggest swing-and-a-miss was safety Craig Butler, a Western grad who signed with the Tiger-Cats. Both offers were similar, according to Buono, but proximity to his southwestern Ontario roots ruled the day and Butler signed with Hamilton.

Stewart, who had 106 defensive tackles in the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the Tiger-Cats, has returned to the West Coast for the very same reason. He signed with the Lions as free agent in February.

“It definitely means everything to me, to have my family come to Vancouver and see me play,” Stewart says. “It’s crazy. When you feel you’re not just playing for the crowd, when you feel the weight of your family, I’m playing for more than the name on my back. I want to make my family proud, represent where I’m from and the city where I’m from. Seattleites take pride in our craft and in making plays.”

The Reign Man, The Glove, Junior, the Big Unit, Ichiro, DangeRuss, Beast Mode are among athletes who need no proper introduction, having fostered civic pride and urban vigour in the Emerald City. Growing up, and today, Stewart and Phillips look on them as sources of inspiration.

“They’re players who put Seattle on the map,” Phillips said. “I’m a Seattleite to the end. So, when you have people like Brandon, T.J. and myself, coming north from the same community, we want to represent our city well. Hopefully, we can inspire other kids to follow the same dream (of playing professional sports).”

Their dream is to win a Grey Cup. Phillips, with 194 career games, has two championships rings (2006, 2011). Stewart, with 108 career starts, has none.

But Phillips thinks the strapping free-agent acquisition, who will play wide-side cornerback next to him, is someone who brings the Lions a step closer to another Cup.

“You can never take for granted his experience,” he says. “Brandon’s a pro. He brings a work ethic to the field, day in and day out. He’s definitely intimidating for most receivers. Ball skills, speed and versatility (Stewart has 56 career special teams tackles). We’re definitely a better team with Brandon here.”

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